A new documentary short on a seedy business practice that went overlooked during the height of the AIDS crisis is being produced by The New Yorker magazine and executive-produced by actor Matt Bomer and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars winner Angeria Paris VanMicheals.
According to the official log line, the new film, Cashing Out, will focus on this billion-dollar "AIDS profiteering" industry that saw thousands of investors buying victims of the AIDS crisis out of their life insurance policies ā giving them a portion up front and taking the rest for themselves after the patient died.
"These settlements were simple," the press release reads. "People with AIDS sold their life insurance policies to investors and, in exchange, received a portion of their own death benefit upfront. Some used the money for survival, to pay rent or buy medications. Others opted for end-of-life luxury ā embarking on lavish trips, buying vacation homes, and starting businesses."
However, it continues, "when these patients died, investors received the full value of their policies, often earning healthy profits on a quick turnaround." Additionally, the doc seems to connect "AIDS history to timely questions around healthcare access, equity, and the social safety net."
"In Cashing Out, Matt Nadel takes a deeply personal look into a very complicated issue that our community faced in the middle of an already unimaginable epidemic," Bomer said in a statement emailed to Out. "It is an enlightening, emotional film that asks more questions than it answers, and looks at a difficult issue from several points of view. I was profoundly moved by Mattās work and learned a great deal about the issues the movie addresses. I was truly moved by the triumph of the human spirit in the LGBTQ+ community.ā
VanMicheals felt it was necessary to help in telling this story because she feels that "queer pain shouldnāt be a cash grab," adding, "director Matt Nadel dives into a tough, personal story and does it with so much heart, smarts, and even some unexpected laughs. Iām so proud to help shine a light on the resilience and brilliance of people living with HIV and to bring this story to a big stage like The New Yorker."
The film will be released on The New Yorker's website and on its YouTube channel on September 10.
